Thrive
by AskaraKic
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke; a tale in itself. And with children thrown in the balance, things can get rough. Mpreg. Yaoi. Semi NextGen


**Plot: **Naruto and Sasuke; a tale in itself. Just as they think their lives have fallen into a comfortable, wildly untamed but still undeniably stable world, it's back to hurt, death, loss and a new enemy. Their children hang in the balance. Their village hangs in the balance. And more importantly than their own life; their love hangs in that fine, delicately rough equilibrium.

**Note**: This only my first or second attempt at a Naruto story. So, by all means, tell me exactly what you think. This is based roughly three years after Sasuke's return, and all the rookie nine are about eighteen - nineteen years old. And I'll admit I haven't entirely worked out the details, but ya know. I had the desire to write like a mo fugga. It's a cliché, but it's so addicting. J

**Warnings**: Yaoi. Mpreg. Violence. Mature language&themes. Mentions of abuse, rape, and torture later in story.

xxx

_**Thrive. **_

xxx_**  
**_

"Tsundae Sama," A cool pair of pale brown eyes glanced up from linked hands, which were lightly resting under a sharp chin. It had been ages since the women found herself this engrossed in thought. Although holding the rank of Gondaim incorporated a large amount filling out the correct documents, giving orders, performing procedures, and dispensing missions, thinking was indeed a familiar part of the job. But bearing her high status, even after years of brutal, never-ending mental wars within herself concerning the fate of her ninja, allies, her brethren, and her village; the last few weeks of grueling analysis and accessing of data had outdone the prior years by an incredibly large margin.

She regarded the new male presence in her office sternly. The masked face of the anbu blackops gave nothing away. No facial expression such as happiness, one which would tell the sannin that he brought a good report, which would lead to a moment of brief rejoice for Tsundae. No frown, no way for Tsundae to know if this conversation was going to be the breaking point of her current hell. It would be a breach into a newer, more callous level of agony, she realized, if the news involving those few kids were nothing but positive. She fought the impulse to shake her head as she continued with her incessant pondering, wondering if she shook vigorously enough it would jar all her mind's basic skills. It would leave her useless, a vegetable, but happy. Instead of slamming her jeweled forehead into the nearest solid surface, she lifting a delicately arched eyebrow, not exactly ready for bleak news, but knowing she never would be.

"Well?" Her voice seemed to break a trance for the nin standing in front of her.

"They've found them."

The silence in the room was deadening. Tsundae felt unsuppressed waves of relief and happiness wash over her, but it was followed swiftly by a ruthless onslaught of anger, accompanied by her instinctive mother hen complex, one which rivaled Iruka's. Protocol was forgotten in her haste to discover if her precious ones were safe, anyone else could fuck off. "Naruto's condition? What of Sasuke…and the children? Where were they found? Who was behind it?" She fought once again to retrain herself from causing pain on herself (and her desk) in order to release the resentment she felt towards those liable. "I want the best team of investigators we have to track down whoever was in charge of this…" She whispered as an afterthought.

The anbu shifted nervously, calculating his response. Tsundae was to worried to notice the small movement. "Naruto is unconscious, but, he seems to be fine. Sasuke is being treated for internal bleeding and various other serious conditions. He was the most injured, but not dead. They were found in Kumo, around the northern border. Not a soul was about when the team came across them."

Tsundae took in the information, and processed it quickly. It would take maybe a day for them to reach Konohagakure if the anbu team traveled at highest speed, and they would, because every member of said team knew Tsundae would kill them if they were accountable for the deaths of the people they were currently providing protection for. She could send Sakura to meet them and heal Sasuke, get him into a transportable state, and Naruto, if not injured, could easily be moved. But what of…

"The children?" She asked again, her eyes narrowing.

"The children," Tsundae noted the low tone of the anbu, very soft and smooth, and felt her heart drop, immediately aware she had felt reassurance far to quickly. "Were no where near the location of Sasuke Uchiha or Uzumaki Naruto."

---

Naruto sighed softly as he ran a hand through Sasuke's dark hair. The sharingon user was still in the intensive care unit, his injuries far to lethal for even a exceedingly proud and skilled Uchiha to overcome in such a short amount of time. He, himself, had just awoken and slipped unnoticed from his bed before the questioning started. Before he had to accept everything that had happened. Until he had to fight for it to stop.

The normally piercingly bright cerulean eyes of the blond chunnin had dulled significantly, and the white walls of the Konoha hospital only adding to Naruto's dead appearance. He desperately wanted to hold onto the man before him, hear him say that all was right. But it wasn't. It was quite the fucking opposite, actually.

Unconsciously, Naruto released Sasuke and began grinding his teeth, the low hum of a growl stabbing the stillness of the room like a knife puncturing the unmarred flesh of an infant. The mere malice that was held behind the murmur of human vocal chords was something that was so terrifying, so frightening, it didn't fit into the mortal realm. Hate radiated from his tan body, face contorting as he launched into demon mode. If he did not control himself soon, it was highly possible he would obliterate everyone within a fifty mile radius.

---

_Naruto smiled faintly as his son made an endeavor to trip Kyo, a small black haired boy with wide green eyes, and laughed when the endeavor succeeded. Kyo stumbled, clumsily dragging his sister Yui onto the hard ground with him. Natsuo grinned and jumped over the pair as he heard his godmother's screech of disapproval, running past his brother and his friend to seek refuge behind a gigantic oak tree. Little did the small boy know that his godmother could crush him with one pinky, but of course, if he did know said information he would never, ever be caught anywhere near his dear godmother. And his godmother didn't want that, she just wished he was…a little bit less like Naruto at times. _

"_How many times have I told you not to trip Kyo, Natsuo!?" Sakura screamed, picking up her children and placing them on their feet, suddenly becoming aware of Naruto's snicker of approval. "And you! Why are you laughing, ya moron!" She waved a fist in his direction, forehead pounding with the obvious signs of anger. "You should be the one disciplining your kids! It's not my job, ya know!" _

"_Oh but Sakura-Chan!" Naruto continued to laugh, blue eyes flashing with a light the everyone recognized and adored. He was no longer frightened by Sakura's monstrous strength. He had progressed to the point where, just about anyone wasn't a threat. And Sakura knew this. And it made her angrier. "That's why I gave you position of godmother!"_

_Sakura twitched slightly, turning to the alternative adult in power. "Uchiha, gonna step in? At all?" _

"_Hmm," He answered, staring ahead impassively as Sasuno played rock checkers with Shomaru, Shikamaru and Termari doing the same. Most would be inclined to take the half-answer for a "maybe yes, maybe no" but Sakura knew, oh she knew. It was a flat "no". "_

_I swear, you guys are not fit to be in charge of your own lives, let alone being in charge of someone else." She mumbled. _

"_I actually think Naruto-Kun and Sasuke-Kun are very good parents, Sakura-Chan." Hinata remarked shyly as she rested Takashi on her chest, the two year old moaning in it's sleep as Hinata talked. The sound of Naruto's third child brought a smirk to Kiba's face, who sat beside Hinata, Akamaru boxing him in. _

"_You see, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto grinned, standing to wrap a arm around his pink-haired friend. "Maybe you should be more like me." _

"_Yeah, right," She said sarcastically, but smiled and moved into the hug, before sitting down next to Akamaru. _

"_Naruto-San, I don't believe it would be wise to…" Lee trailed off, recalling in his very small brain the one of many instances Sakura had proven her potency. _

"_Yeah, dude, I wouldn't test Sakura so much. She might just impale you." Kiba taunted, grinning._

"_Of course, dog breath. I would much rather test you. Say, changing subjects, but have you gotten rid of the fleas yet? I thought I heard you talking to Hinata about them starting to make a rash…"_

"_Haha, Uzumaki. When are you planning to make a joke about something else besides dogs, or something pertaining to dogs?" The dotted eyes of the Inuzaka rolled, appropriately displaying his unscathed self after his friend's potentially life threatening comment. _

"_Well, I was going to say your face, but ya know, kinda pertains to a dogs…" Naruto beamed and Kiba glared. _

_They had all decided to meet here, Tsundae having given them a free day off. Every one of the six had recently been part of a extremely high ranked mission, and were exhausted. Yet, they didn't just want to sleep their free time away, so this seemed like the perfect occasion to catch up and interact. Things were finally settling down. After the upraise of Akatsuki and the slewing of Pein, many villages had taken advantage of Konoha's weakened state, but the leaf village was finally close to making a full recovery. _

_Kiba had been promoted to Jounin, as well as Hinata. Though Hinata would be out of commission for a few months, discovering just today that she was pregnant with her soon to be first child. Of course, Hiashi had been upset about his daughter's lack of marriage in the situation. Even if Hiashi hadn't been livid, Kiba and Hinata had scheduled to wed in early November, and Naruto had a mildly good feeling they would be happy together for a long time, If not for eternity. Kiba was the type of person, that, when he fell in love, he stayed that way, no matter how much he wanted the feelings to disappear. And Hinata was content with whomever providing love and one-on-one affection to her. _

_At first, Naruto was a bit surprised that Hinata's painfully obvious crush had faded, but he knew as soon as she saw him holding Sasuno and Natsuo, she hadn't looked at him the same sense. Maybe she had relinquished all hope that day. _

_On another note, Kiba's reputation in the ninja world was becoming somewhat universal. He now possessed the ability to summon three ancient Inuzaka dog's, all of which were enormously high is power and stature. Naruto and Sasuke were just itching to pick a fight with him. _

_Lee had accomplished Jounin rank, as well as Sakura, having taken the position of main medical assistant, and whenever old Tsundae decides to kick the bucket, she'll be completely in charge. Sakura and Lee had been married for two years. And their two children, male and female, were some of the cutest kids around, and oh how Sakura loved that small fact: all the random compliments and attention. The kids, Kyo and Yui, are basically impossible to tell apart, aside from the fact they both have different sets of "equipment". Both share pale, porcelain skin, with dazzling emerald eyes and ebony hair. At the age of two, both children showed excellent intelligence, and Yui showed exceptional balance. But not Kyo. No, not Kyo. _

_Temari earned her status of Jounin long ago, as did Shikamaru. They've been married for over two years; Shikamaru's parents agreeing to young matrimony and Temari having no parent's to complain. Their oldest son, three, is Shomaru, already displaying incomparable amounts of intelligence, but sadly, the laziness had also been inherited from his genius of a father. The younger child, aged two, was named Shimari, a exact copy of Temari with tad bit darker skin and a far less proud personality. _

_And Sasuke and Naruto, the oddest couple of the gathering, claimed the largest number of children. _

_Natsuo, age three, with the flaming yellow hair and beautifully contrasting pale skin harbored obsidian eyes. He's a handful In all and every situation that comes into play, and if past dictates fact, Naruto is the solitary sole that is able to keep pace with him. The boy rarely ever settles into a seating position, and if he does he is usually stuffing his face with food, another Naruto=esque trait. Tsundae has adopted this boy, even if she forcefully rebuffs it at another's attendance. _

_Sasuno, age three, a gorgeous boy with almost perfect, translucent skin and ebony hair had inherited the same abysmal black eyes as Sasuke. He was quite, a bit more unemotional than the other children, but if he found something he enjoyed, he evolved a child even more animated than Natsuo. The event was something so out of the ordinary, Naruto had only viewed it once, and that was by accident. And he did not take pleasure in recalling the event, either. It had been a snake, a small garden snake writing around on the ground that had transformed his normal stoic son into a hysterical fanatic. _

_Takashi, age two, a hybrid on all fronts, with a dull brown complexion, mixed with blond-black hair and a pair of docile navy eyes was the bipolar of the group. At his young age it was already painfully apparent that the boy would have anger issues. He typically keeps Yui company. Maybe because Yui never seems to abandon the boy's presence, but Sakura would like to believe that her daughter had the subtle ability to calm him. _

_Takumi, age one, had eyes as expressive and blue as his father's, skin a natural, yellow tone and hair black as night. The personality of the young child had not yet come into play, but he was a rather collective child if not anything else._

_And, Hotari, age one, the only female with an amazingly sunny hue, with bright hair and even brighter eyes. The child was the fussiest, rather picky about her food and her napping spots. Shikamaru found this to be hilarious. The only one of the group that was picky and it happened to be female, it was just to rich for him. _

_Naruto, if you get technical, was still just a chunnin, but could easily slaughter a group of jounin or even a pair of sannin. Sasuke, as well, is far above a regular chunnin._

_But both Sasuke and Naruto weren't all that worried about rank. Sasuke was still fighting to stay in the village, the mere thought of what the elders had done burdening him every moment of the day. But his love for Naruto, and his children was a force that compelled him to do whatever it took to stay in their lives, even live among murderers and a corrupt government. It was a odd relationship, his and Naruto's. They had sex. A lot. The carnal needs of both men would seem overbearing to others, but they fell in tune with it rather easily. Their love was something that both couldn't withhold, if they had ever wanted to. But Sasuke still had problems expressing his affection verbally. And in public there was no option but to be retrained. Many of the shinobi had no clue that the children Sasuke and Naruto raised were actually born from both their genes. _

_The group spent the next few hours reminiscing and cracking jokes, before they finally gathered their children and began their trek home. Temari and Shikamaru were spending the next few months in Suna, while Sakura and Lee had been scheduled a recon mission around Kumo. _

_As Naruto and Sasuke moved swiftly through the village, the stores closed and the streets empty, everything stilled in an incredible alien like fashion, and Naruto was hostage to one of the most vicious genjustus he's ever been trapped in._

_But what he awoke to was more of a nightmare than the illusion before it. Maybe because, it was glaringly obvious this wasn't a trick of the mind, and that it was real. And it was happening. And he could not stop it._

_He gaped as Sasuke, his lithe body spewing what looked like gallons of blood, thudded to the forest floor. He had no idea where he was, no idea what had happened. But his regained vision was not holding. And as his eyesight faded back into darkness, he saw his children, tied and captured. Natsuo was scared, his eyes widened to the point they were close to popping from his small head. Sasuno's face was still dispassionate, but the tremors that ravaged his body were proof of his terror as he examined his father fall to the ground. Takashi flailed in the arms of a faceless nin. And the two youngest, Takumi and Hotari, were wailing desperately. _

_Crying for him._

_Crying for Sasuke. _

_Crying for their parents, their armor and both of them were useless…_

_He was useless…_

"_No!" Sasuke screamed, his voice cracking but still holding the raw edge of hatred that had once been directed at him. His face was still buried in mounds of dirt the impact of his body had eroded, but he had no intention of forfeiting the hopeless fight just yet. With one hand he pushed himself back onto his knees, but a rapid punch left him laying on his back. _

"_Well, you obviously don't mind…" A voice that chilled Naruto's soul whispered. _

_And then, the cries of the babies abruptly stopped. _

---

Naruto jumped as a pair of arms encircled him, they were freezing, but no exactly unwelcome.

"Naruto." It was Sasuke's voice, deep but soft, that triggered Naruto to loosen his tense muscles, and relax to the touch. But relatively quickly, Naruto recalled Sasuke's condition, and gently pushed him back to the mattress.

They gawked at one another for a long moment, relishing in the fact they were both still alive.

"Did they…" They inquiry was monotone, eyes a dull coal slate from the usually communicative eyes that the Uchiha held, a clear sign that Sasuke had little hope.

Naruto shook his head. Sensing his eyes fill with tears, he moved his head away, but gentle fingers under his chin forced him to gaze into somehow fiery obsidian eyes. It was a expression Naruto had never seen Sasuke hold apart from a few incidents. It was the expression Sasuke carried when he spoke of killing Itachi, a goal that he would reach or die trying.

"I'll get them back." He snarled, teeth clenching. "And I'll slit the throat of whomever gets in the way."


End file.
